Luke Macaronas (2016/17 Plain English Speaking Awardee) wowed in London earlier this year, winning the ESU’s International Public Speaking Competition. However, Luke’s experience was about far more than just victory as he mingled with 45 speakers from 42 different countries for a week of speaking workshops, cultural activities and competition. Please click here to read about Luke’s trip or read a few snippets below.

“Three days of the five-day program were taken up by workshops and networking activities. These activities included cultural presentations -one of the highlights of the week- in which competitors were able to informally speak about their own country and culture. We heard the fears of a Hong Kong student at the demise of democracy in the Chinese administrative region, the fragility of life for those teenagers growing up in Turkey and Lebanon, and the political anxieties of students from eastern European countries like Lithuania, Georgia and Latvia at the long shadow cast on their nations by the Russian state.”

“Travelling to Shakespeare’s Globe for a workshop on performance and emotional motivation, as well as working with other competitors on their speeches and impromptu speaking abilities withdrew any sense of competition, as instead the focus of the week became the global friendships we were forming. Whether that was debating political topics, or simply comparing London to our own cities, this was an extraordinary forum of young, critically engaged minds with which it was a privilege to share the week.”

29th June, 2017